Apparel garment



Jan. 12, 1932. c, DUFF 1,840,937

APPAREL GARMENT Filed Sept. 5, 1929 INVENTOR 33 Ewe/2 filgf BY l Y Patented Jan. 12, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EWEN O. DUFF, OF NEW YORK, N. 'Y., ASSIGNOR T0 KOPS BROS. INQ, OF

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK NEW YORK, N. Y1.

APPAREL GARMENT Application filed September 5, 1929. Serial No. 390,452.

My present invention relates to an apparel garment and more particularly to a garment comprising a combined girdle and brassiere. In constructing the garment the girdle and brassiere portions thereof are independent of each other at the sides and the back and are associated and connected with each other only by means of the front member of the garment which extends continuously from the upper to the lower edge ofthe garment and is made of a material which is stretchable in one direction and so placed in the garment that the front member is stretchable or yieldable throughout its entire length in order to cause the garment to fit-the wearer and permit the brassiere portion thereof to accommodate'itself to bodies of different length waistlines so that within the stretchable limits of the front member the brassiere portion of the garment may be'adjusted to position to properly conform to and support the breasts of the wearer. To this end in carrying out the invention the garment made in accordance therewith comprises a front member adapted to extend from the upper to the lower edges of the garment while the girdle member includes sections extending from the lower portions of the front member and'adapted t0 overlie the thighs and buttocks of the wearer, these members extending downwardly from a line somewhat below the waist line of the body, together with sections extendin from the upper portions of'the front mem er to complete the brassiere, the front member being cutaway at substantially the waist line, whereby the girdle and the brassiere, as aforesaid, are independent of each other except through their connection with the front member. The garment may also be so constructed as to include devices for engaging the upper parts of the limbs of the wearer in order to' maintain the girdle in' position without employing the customary hose supporters by means of which tension is usually applied to prevent the garmentfrom creeping upwardly on the body.

The garment made in accordance with my present invention will be hereinafter more particularly described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Figure By reference to the drawings it will be seen that the garment made in accordance therewith comprises a front member 10. This front member is preferably made of two plies of material, as indicated at 11 and 12, Fig. 4, and provided with a liner 13 which extends from the lower edge of the front member to a line which preferably is a continuation of the upper edge of the girdle. The other members of the garment are also preferably made of two plies of material and the material is so constructed as to be stretchable or yieldable to an appreciable extent in one directionand substantially non-stretchable in the other direction. This material may be glovesilk, for example, and knitted in a manner similar to that illustrated. in Fig. 6, al-

though of course the material of which thegarment is made is not limited to that hereinbefore specified inasmuch as any material which is sufficiently stretchable in one direction and non-stretchable in the other direction will answer the purpose and fulfill the requirements ofthe garment when in use.

The girdle of the garment includes a side member 14 and a side member 15, together with a back member 16. The right hand side member 14 is connected to the lower portion of the front member 10 along suitable lines of stitching 17. Similarly the forward edge of the left hand'side member 15 is connected to the lower portion of the front member by suitable lines of stitching 18. In like manner the rearward edge of the right hand side member 14 is connected to the adjacent edge of the back member 16 by suitable lines of stitching 19 and the rearward edge of the left hand side member 15 is connected to the adjacent edgeof the back member 16 along suitable lines of stitching 20. With the exception of a liner in the lower edge portion of the back member 16 there are no liner members associated with the side and back members of the garment and the liner member 13, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, extends upwardly from the lower edge of the front member and is coextensive with the girdle portion thereof terminating at the line 21 which is a substantial continuation of the upper edges of the side members of the girdle.

The upper portion of the front member 10 is indicated at 22. This upper portion of the front'member immediately above the girdle section is\cl1t away, as indicated at 23 and 24 making provision for extensions 25 and 26 I which extend to lines appreciably forward of the axillar lines of the garment.

The upper edges of the upper portion of the front member are also cut away on concave lines 27 and 28 and have set therein cup shaped or breast s upportin members 29 and 30. The outer edges of the reast supporting members 29 and 30 terminate in lines which are continuations of the lines of the extremities of the extensions 25 and 26, as indicated at 31 and 32. The brassiere member of the garment also includes back straps 33 and 34. The back strap 33 isconnected to the right handbreast support member 29 and to the extremity of the extension 25, while similarly the'back strap 34 in the left hand side of the garment is connected to and extends from the edge portions of the breast support member 30 and the extremity of the extension 26. Connected to the back stra 33 there is a connecting strap 35 fitted wit a hook-36 and at the extremity of the back strap 34 there is an eyelet 37. As will be understood, the hook 36 is adapted to engage in the eyelet 37 to connect the parts of the brassiere member at the back. The length of the connectin strap 35 may be adjustable and instead-o this connecting strap 35 and the hook 36 and the eyelet 37 any suitable means may be em-.

' ployed for connecting the back straps 33 and 34 to adjust and maintain the' brassiere portion of the garment in position on the body.

engage the limbs of the wearer to maintain the parts of the girdle in position on the body although theparticular construction illustratedto accomplish this purpose is no part strap 38. At one end thiscrotgh strap 38 is connected to the lower edge of'the front member of the garment. At its opposite end the crotch strap 38 is provided with tapes '39 and 40 preferably of elastic material and these are fitted at their extremities withhooks, indicated at 41-and 42. These hooks 41 and 42 are adapted respectively to engage 'in any one of aseries of eyelets, as'indi- The garment may be so constructed as to cated at 43 and 44 in the lower edge of the back member of the girdle. These eyelets 43 and 44 extend through theouter ply 45 of which the back member of the garment is made and also through a reinforcing strap 46 associated with the lower edge of this back .may be readily gained to the space etween the reinforcing strips for either connecting or disconnecting the hooks 41 and 42 in any of the eyelets 43 and 44.

j The line of division between the lower portion of the front memberand the upper forward edge portion of the left hand side member 15 maybe open, as indicated at 52, and the edges provided with reinforcing strips 53 and 54 in which respectively there are se' cured series of spaced hooks 55 and eyes 56 to form a suitable closure in the upper portion of the girdleof the garment.

Also as llustrated in the drawings the breast supporting members 29 and 30 may be constructed to include darts designated at 57 and 58, 59 and 60 to cause the same to properly conform to the breasts of the wearer.

- The garment as hereinbefore described, as

will now be appreciated, is so constructed that with the exception of their connection with the front member the brassiere and girdle portions of the garment are entirely independent of one another and that in use the I front member is stretchable longitudinally, making it possible for the garment in use to properly fit bodies of different length waist lines whereby, as will be'understood, a material saving is effected in manufacturing and distributing costs because of curtailing the number of different sizes of the garment which would otherwise have to be made and carried in stock. It will also be understood that-tlie girdle portion of the garment is maintained in position on the body by means of tension exerted on the upper parts of the limbs of the wearer by means of the crotch strap and-the ,parts associated therewith, together with'the lower edge portions of the side members of the girdle. This may be accomplished in sucha manner that the garment is maintained in position without causing the crotch strap to bear with any appreciable degree of tension against the body, or for that matter, to come into contact with the body at all, the entire contact of the crotch strap and the parts associated therewith being with the wearer. g

I claim as my invention:

1. In a garment of the type described com prising a girdle and a brassiere, a front member extending from the upper to the lower edges of the garment and being common to both the girdle and brassiere, the front member at substantially the waist line being cut away at the sides thereof leaving a portion in the form of a cross above the waist line, garment members completing-the continuity limbs of the of the front member below the cut-away sides thereof to form the girdle, and garment members united with the cross portion of the front member above the cut-away sides thereof to form the brassiere, the said front member being stretchable longitudinally from the upper to the lower edge of the garment permitting the brassierc to adapt itself to wearers having different length waist lines.

2. In a garment of the type described comprising-a girdle and a brassiere, a front member common to both the girdle and the brassiere, the side edges of the front member being cut away at substantially the waist line, side and back members extending from the front member below the cut-away sides thereof to form the girdle, and garment members extending from the front member above the cutaway side portions thereof to form the brassiere, the said front member being formed of stretchable material and having an unyielding liner coextensive therewith below the waist line, whereby said member is stretchable longitudinally throughout its entire length to permit the brassiere to adapt itself to wearers having different length waist lines while said girdle is substantially unyielding in a transverse direction.

3. In a garment of the type described comprising a girdle and a brassiere, a front member extending from the upper to the lower edge of the garment and being common to both the girdle and brassiere, the side edges of the said front member being cut away at substantially the waist line leaving a portion in the form of a cross above the waist line, body members extending from the front member below the cut-away sides thereof to form the girdle, breast supporting members connected to the upper vertical and horizontal arms of the cross portion of the front member,

back straps extending from the said breast supporting members, and means for connecting the said back-straps toone another, the

, said front member being stretchable longitudinally throughout its entire length to permit the brassire to adapt itself to wearers having different length waist lines.

Signed by me this 15th day of August, 1929.

EWEN C. DUFF. 

